thy servant, who "is devoted to thy fear.' Verse 44, ' So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.' Verse 45, ' And I will walk at liberty : for I seek thy precepts.' Acts xxiv. 1 6, ' And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.' Heb. xiii. 18, ' Pray for us : for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.' Gracious souls do stroDgly affect that which they cannot easily effect : Ps. cxix. 57, ' Thou art my portion, O Lord : I have said that I would keep thy words.' Some read this verse thus, ' Lord, I have said, my portion shall be to keep thy words.' Holy David was fully determined and resolved in himself, to keep God's royal law, in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And so Barnabas exhorted the disciples, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, Acts xi. 23 ; as if all piety and truth of grace consisted in gracious purposes of heart. Certainly when the bent of a man's mind, and the settled purpose of a man's soul, and the unfeigned desires of his heart, are for God, for grace, for holi- ness in heart, in life, then the estate and condition of that man is safe and happy. It is very observable that that great apostle Paul, in his spiritual conflict, lays a very great stress upon these things ; witness Rom. vii. 16, ' If then I do that which I w^ould not, I consent unto the law that it is good.' So verse 18, ' For to will is present with me.' So verse 19, ' For the good that I would I do not : but the evil which I would not, that I do.' So verses 21, 22, ' I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.' So verse 25, ' So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God.' Certainly, the truth, the life, and power of grace, of holiness, of regeneration, is not so mucli seen in our actions, as in the renewing and sanctif3dng of our minds and wills, according to that Rom. xii. 2, ' Be ye transformed,' or metamorphosed, as the Greek has it, ' by the renewing of your mind.' No man is to judge of the soundness or sincerity of his spirit by some particular acts, but by the constant frame and bent of his spirit, and by his general conversation in this world. If particular actions might determine whether a man had grace or no grace, whether he were in Christ or not in Christ, whether he were a saint or not a saint, whether he were sincere or unsound, we should many times conclude, that those had no grace who indeed have, and that they were not in Christ who indeed are, and that they are no saints who indeed are, and that they are not sincere, who certainly are true Nathanaels.' The best saints have had their extravagant motions, and have very foully and sadly miscarried as to particular actions, even then when the constant course and bent of their spirits have been God- wards and Christ-wards, and holiness-wards and heaven-wards, &c. Witness David's murder and adultery, Noah's drunkenness, Lot's incest, Joseph's swearing, Job's cursing, Jonah's vexing, Peter's denying, and Thomas his not believing. Such twinklings do and will accompany the highest and fairest stars. As he who foots it best may be found some- times all along, and the neatest person may sometimes slip into a slough.
^ Though the needle of the seaman's compass may jog this way and that way, yet the bent of the needle will still be northward. So though a Christian may have his particular sinful joggings, this way or that way, yet the bent of his heart will still be God wards. Una actio non denominal.
Chap. II.] a cabiket of jewels. 333
He that cannot endure to see a spot upon his clothes, may yet sometimes fall into a quagmire. So the holiest and exactest Christians may some- times besui-prised with many infirmities andunevennesses,and sad miscar- riages. Certainly particular sinnings are compatible with a gracious frame, though none are with a glorious condition. Though no darkness, no clouds can be mixed with the sun in heaven, yet both may be in the air which is enlightened below. Our best estate on earth is mixed, and not absolute. Glory annihilates all sinful practices, but grace only weakens them. The most sincere Christian is but an imperfect Christian, and hath daily cause to mourn over his infirmities, as well as he has cause to bless God for his graces and mercies. Well, sirs ! look, as every par- ticular stain doth not blemish the universal fineness of the cloth, so neither doth this or that particular fact disprove and deny the general bent of the heart. Particulars may not decide the estate either way. It is true, a man by a particular sinning is denominated guilty, but by no one particular can a man's estate be challenged, either for good or bad. He that shall judge of a Christian's estate by particular acts, though notorious bad, will certainly ' condemn the generation of the righteous.' We must always distinguish betwixt some single good actions, and a series of good actions. It is not this or that particular good action, but a continued course of holy actions, that denominates us holy. Certainly, as there is no man so holy, but sometimes he falls into this or that particular sin ; so there is no man so wicked, but sometimes he falls in with this or that particular duty. Witness Pharaoh, who in a fiit desires Moses and Aaron to pray for him ; and witness Balaam, who in a good mood desires to die the death of the right- eous ; and witness Saul, who under a pang condemns himself, and justifies David ; and so witness Ahab's humbling of himself, and Nineveh's repenting, and Felix his trembling, and Herod's hearing of John Baptist gladly.' Now look, as every sin which a godly man falls iuto, through infirmity, doth not presently denominate him ungodly, so neither will a few good actions done by a wicked man prove him godly. It is what the course and tenor of the life is, that must be most dili- gently and wisely observed, for every man is as his course is ; if his course be holy, the man is so ; if his course be wicked, the man is wicked. There is a maxim in logic, viz., that no general rule can be established upon a particular instance ; and there is another maxim in logic, viz., that no particular instance can overthrow a general rule. So here, as no man can safely and groundedly conclude from no better pro- mises^ than from some few particular actions, though in themselves materially and substantially good, that his heart is therefore sincere ; so on the contrary, no man ought to conclude, because of some gross par- ticular sinful actions, and extravagant motions, that his heart is unsound. O sirs I we are not to make a judgment of our states and con- ditions, by some particular actions, whether they are good or evil, but we are to make a judgment of our estates and conditions by the general frame, bent, and disposition of our hearts, and by the con-